Lecce-Spezia is a match of the thirty-sixth day of Serie A and is played Saturday at 12:30 p.m.: lineups, predictions, TV and streaming.
The standings speak for themselves. The salvation clash between Lecce and Spezia has the potential to revolutionize for the umpteenth time the hierarchies at the bottom of the standings.
And continue to animate a struggle to avoid relegation that, for weeks now, has returned to reserve countless twists and turns. The Salentini, unlike what was thought until a few months ago, have yet to earn their stay in Serie A. A discourse that also applies to the Ligurians, who were sucked into the red zone after Verona’s extraordinary comeback: in all likelihood, it will be one of these three teams that will keep company with Sampdoria and – most likely – also Cremonese, which was almost doomed. It is Marco Baroni’s men who are in better shape, thanks to their two-point advantage over the third-last place, currently shared precisely by Spezia and Verona. Lecce, which a week ago came close to what would have been a resounding victory at home to Lazio: between the first and second half, a double by Frenchman Oudin had put back the Biancocelesti, who had taken the lead through Immobile, but in full recovery Maurizio Sarri’s lineup managed to grab the equalizer (2-2) through Milinkovic-Savic.
Spezia backs to the wall
A point that in any case boosts morale – and a lot of it – for the Giallorossi, who before the match at the Olimpico had cashed in two defeats in a row against Juventus and Verona.
Nzola and Wisniewski of Spezia
Spezia also returned to smiles, which in the last round even took the illustrious scalp of AC Milan (2-0) taking advantage of the massive turnover made by Rossoneri coach Pioli ahead of the Champions League semifinal with Inter Milan. The Ligurians thus broke a fast of victories that lasted since last March, when at the “Picco” they were forced to surrender, as it happens, the cousins of Inter. A vital success for the lineup coached by Leonardo Semplici, who before the match with Milan seemed to be sinking: the Bianconeri had suffered three consecutive defeats (Monza, Atalanta and Cremonese) in which they had not scored a single goal. Spezia is thus back in the running, even benefiting from Verona’s unexpected defeat against Torino: the Granata victory allowed Nzola and his teammates to erase the three-point gap with the Scaligeri. Now a feat is needed in Salento: Spezia has the second worst external performance and has won only once away from home in 2023; Lecce, on the other hand, is struggling a lot behind home walls, where they have lost five of their last eight matches.
Lecce-Spezia: latest lineup news
Baroni grappling with the usual doubt concerning the attack: at the center of the offensive trident it will be the turn of one between Ceesay and Colombo, with the latter slightly favored. Oudin is confirmed in midfield, but the Giallorossi coach will have to do without Hjulmand, who is injured. The disqualified Banda will not be there either: chance for Di Francesco.
The list of unavailable players at Spezia is very long: Semplici will be without Holm, Bastoni, Sala, Caldara, Maldini, Beck and Moutinho. Also absent is the disqualified Amian. On the left Ferrer will undermine Reca’s regularity, in front possible tandem Nzola-Shomurodov.
The Prediction
A real, inside-out playoff, the kind where the ball is hot. Winning or losing could make all the difference in the world. It is hard to expose ourselves on the final result, as it is a triple match: we expect a locked contest especially in the first half of the game, with the two teams conditioned by the fear of losing. Both are not excelling in the non-possession phase and the chances that the total goals at the end will be less than three are very high. A draw is not to be ruled out.
The probable formations of Lecce-Spezia
- LECCE (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Gonzalez, Blin, Oudin; Strefezza, Colombo, Di Francesco.
- SPEZIA (3-5-2): Dragowski; Wisniewski, Ampadu, Nikolaou; Gyasi, Ekdal, Bourabia, Esposito, Reca; Nzola, Shomurodov.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
